Dane was quiet, really quiet. It would have worried you if it wasn't so damn amusing. He tried three different times to say something to you, but each time he fell silent. You're trying not to enjoy his shock, but it's too fresh. You pull back on his shoulder, and he gingerly walks down the stairs.

"You're serious?" he asks, a frown on his face.

You nod again. "Dead. C'mon, you can do this."

He sighs, lowers his head, and rakes his fingers through his hair. He presses the palm of his right hand against his forehead and looks up to you. You stare into the hesitant orange eyes before looking away and around.

"Then why can't we go inside?" he begins, standing up straight again. "It's right there." He motions towards the building.

"Nah, man. This is the best stage right out here."

You roll back your right sleeve and look down at your watch. If things didn't come together soon, then you two would have to go in. It would put a damper on your plans, and Dane would miss out on the sick life lesson you were trying to give him. You hear something drop and look up past your older brother. Someone in shabby wear is setting up his stand. Perfect, he showed up. A girl tags along behind him and helps along with the set up. Dane turns around to see what you're seeing.

"Oh no," you hear him mutter as he spots the street performers.

You chuckle and walk past him. "Oh yes."

You walk over to the duo and bend down, looking over their set up before the girl looks up at you.

"We're not ready yet," she says, turning her attention to her tote bag. "Just give us a few minutes."

"Actually, that's perfect. I need to ask you something," you reply.

The male looks up to you and stops what he's doing. "I've seen you around here a few times before," he says, squinting his eyes. He must have been trying to really remember you.

You nod. "Yeah, my brother and sister dragged me around this way a few times. Listen, help me out a second."

They give you their attention, and you place your hands into your pocket, turning your head to look over to Dane.

"You see that guy over there?"

They turn their head towards the other Strider.

"That's my big bro, and he's got a dilemma." You look back down to the other two. "I've heard you guys performing, and I was wondering if you guys can do any rap beats."

The girl nodded and glanced up to you from the corner of her eyes. "Yeah, we can do that. Want me to sing along or?"

You take out both your hands from your pockets and make a double "okay" sign. "Perfect."

You look to Dane and wave him over. He looks resigned but walks over to the three of you. When he's close enough, you throw an arm over his shoulders and pat him on the chest. He lets out a snort and glares at you at a side glance. You can deal with that. He was still in this.

It took a while for the duo to set up, but you were people watching in the meantime. Dane kept his back to the crowd and was staring down at the ground as he waited. Whenever you turned your head towards him, he side glanced to you before returning his gaze back to the ground. Nothing was really said between the two of you in the chunk of time everything took.

The guy stands up and hands a microphone to Dane. As you watch, the girl places a mic on your shoulder, grabbing your attention. You take it from her and turn, watching her take another out of the tote bag.

"How many of those did you pack?" you ask, genuinely curious.

"Enough in case of technical difficulties."

Nice. Serves a good point. You switch yours on and walk off to the side. Dane turns his over as though he has never seen one in his life. You see his thumb slide over the cylindrical body, and his shoulders relax in a sigh. Do or die, man. Do or die.

The male plugged in his beat machine, and you realize it looks like yours. It's probably an older model because you've never seen one of those before, but when the music starts flowing, that no longer matters. New or old, this guy creates some fly tunes and you can respect that. The girl, though, surprises the ever loving fuck out of you. Her speaking voice and her singing voice are on completely different planets. She starts off soft, but she starts to belt out a vocalization that absolutely floors you. Vegas is a place of many talents. You bob your head to the beat and feel her singing, trying to get a sense of when to jump in. It's a round of musical double dutch; you have to time it just right. When the girl lowered her mic away, you lift yours to your lips.

"Yeah. Who do you think I feel sorry for? You're not the kinda sap that I would likely ignore." You make your way towards Dane slowly, left hand moving with the rhymes coming out of your mouth. "You need a checklist or else you won't get past this. Or do I need to take you out like the Terminator," you step up to your brother and press the tips of your index and middle finger against his forehead, pushing him back, "if you wanna punk out, then adiós—see you later, gator."

You step backwards, and you see the girl lift her hand to her ear as she sings next to you. You glance over to her, and she opens her eyes, smiling. You look towards Dane. He rolls his head around until he's looking down at his microphone. With his head tilted down like that, you can see that his eyes are closed. You wonder, for a second, if he is gonna chicken out. That'd be pretty weak, but he surprises you.

He lifts the mic to his lips. "Drop it."

The music slows down and comes to a halt. The girl rocks on her heels and taps her fingers on the cylinder body of the device. She's waiting, almost like she knows what's coming next. You can recognize that anticipation anywhere.

"'Ey, DJ. Gimme a slow track," Dane adds on.

The male sitting on the ground gives a thumbs up and plays something smoother for your twin. You remember hearing this beat before. Maybe while you were walking along with Bro or Sis, but this song stuck with you the moment you heard it. The girl has the mic to her lips, and she starts singing an introduction. Yeah, it's feeling all too much like déjà vu. Dane bobs his head and body to the beat. He's getting ready to jump between the ropes.

"You're a fool if you don't think I was prepared, man. I'm bust these rhymes like only a Strider can. I think it's about time for this bud to bloom. You'll be dazzled as I rap you straight to your doom." He pauses, moving his head away from the mic. You see his chest puff up as he takes a deep breath.

'Come on, man,' you think. 'Represent.'

The beat drops suddenly. "Let me tell you that you won't get the best of me; I'll put all your cheap tricks on display. You're gonna rethink everything you've done; the battle's just begun—this is a total farce. Get gone; you've lost. You've come across—a foe that is like no other, son. There's no 'continue'; Dane Strider won."

You lower your head down and applaud him. The other two join you, and so do a small crowd of spectators that have gathered. You switch the mic to your left hand, lift it to your lips and place your free hand the bend of your arm.

"Well, ah, you see, like you said the battle's just begun. We wouldn't want to disappoint these folk, right?" You turn to the crowd to your left, who start "whoo"ing and applauding. You smirk and turn towards Dane, leaning your body to the side. "Beside, I don't die that easily." You raised your right hand, pointing towards the DJ. "Kick it."

You turn to Dane and see the smirk on his face. You walk forward and slap your hand with his, stepping away once the brotherly gesture is over.

"Sorry, man. I gotta destroy ya," you say into the mic.

"Yeah, bring it on."

You chuckle. "It's already been brought."

And just like that, you get lost in the music.